Related Content

In the study, 20 percent of the children spent an average of 28 minutes a day using screens.

Every 30-minute increase in daily screen time was linked to a 49 percent increased risk of what the researchers call expressive speech delay, which is using sounds and words.The study did not find any link between use of a handheld device and other areas of communication, such as gestures, body language and social interaction.

The lead researcher, a doctor at the hospital for sick children in Toronto, says much more research is needed, including what content the child is watching.

The research was presented at the 2017 Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting in San Francisco.